A scrapbook is a collection of scrapbook pages, each of which is a unique collection of at least photographs, paper crafts, and journaling. In general, each scrapbook page or a group of pages are based on a theme, and all of the components that make up that page(s) are in context with the theme. For example, a scrapbook page having a “holiday” theme would comprise photographs taken during that particular holiday, and paper craft depicting the holiday, for instance, a valentine heart cut out of red construction paper or a purchased die cut. In addition, the person making the scrapbook page would record information about the holiday, including who was shown in the photographs on the page(s) in the form of journaling. All of the components of a scrapbook page are arranged in an aesthetically pleasing manner which best depicts the essence of the theme. The components are typically glued in place, and the assembled scrapbook page is inserted into a scrapbook album. A purpose of making a scrapbook page versus simply placing photographs in a standard photo album is to create a unique, personalized family heirloom which tells a story and will be cherished for a lifetime, and which will perhaps be passed on to a next generation. The task of creating a scrapbook page provides benefit to those participating in the craft as well as the recipient of the completed scrapbook album.
Novice scrapbookers often look to others for inspiration when organizing a new page layout. Experienced scrapbookers will share their scrapbook page layouts for creative inspiration, and because they are a source of pride for the creator. Scrapbook magazines show themed page layouts with a description on how to assemble a page, and the materials needed to get the desired results.
The scrapbook business has grown over the past several years. Today, there are scrapbook specialty stores, magazines devoted to the craft, and a plurality of websites offering on-line merchandise sales and creative tips. The type of merchandise available for this craft segment has grown substantially. Today, a person can purchase scrapbook specialty items including scissors to cut a variety of patterns, pre-printed patterned paper, paper in all colors of the rainbow, specialty pens, and specialty adhesives. However, on the other hand, the type of still photograph included in a scrapbook has gone relatively unchanged over 100 years.
With the advent of digital imaging, still photographs can take on a whole new look. Even if the original photograph was captured using an analog camera, the photograph can be scanned to create a digital copy of the original photograph. Once a photograph is in digital form, using digital editing techniques, a person can create distinctive looking composite images from the same or different photographs. The avid scrapbooker is continually looking for new ways to make an appealing scrapbook page layout, the latest technique to use, or a new product to try in their scrapbook. However, most of the present methods used by scrapbookers are fairly complex and use only a single image of the same scene.
Matting an image is one method of enhancing the image to make it appealing in a scrapbook. A mat is a border placed around an image to serve as a frame or contrast for the image. The mat typically surrounds the perimeter of the image. However, selecting a suitable color for the mat is not an easy task since a scrapbooker must first determine a collection of colors to consider; not an easy task if the image is comprised of a plurality of colors. Since a scrapbooker is interested in producing an aesthetically pleasing image which focuses on and promotes the subject of the image, selecting a color for the mat may be tedious and time consuming. Further, if multiple mats are desired, coordinating the colors of the mats with the image may be difficult. Still further, the cost of the mat may be expensive, particularly if the image is of a large or irregular size. Still further, any mat needs to have the archival properties and quality desired by a scrapbooker. For example, the mat may not be acid free, a characteristic desired by scrapbookers for long term archival.
Accordingly, there exists a need for a method of producing a matted image which is usable in a scrapbook. The method needs to be low cost, easy to use, accessible for the sporadic, intermittent use of scrapbookers, and produce a high quality, archival print. The method must provide immediate feedback to the scrapbooker as to how the matted image would be formed/produced. In addition, the method must be suitable for producing multiple mats on a single image.